Enjoying Pregnancy: The 2nd Trimester

Part 2 of my pregnancy series. Check back for more; part 1 is here!

Ah, the honeymoon trimester! *Most* women have an easier second trimester than first, after the placenta is developed and hormones stabilized (for the most part). Here are some tips & tricks I did during my second trimester to ease pregnancy!

[[And as always, I'm not a healthcare professional, so take this advice as though it is from a fellow pregnant lady, because that is true. Talk to your healthcare provider about what will work best for you.]]

"Issue": Pregnancy Digestive Problems 

"Solution #1": Mason jar salads. Remember my tips in the first trimester to keep things moving? Well, you know what else helps...natural fiber! Salads and raw veggies are a great piece of a healthy diet, especially once you've moved on from food aversions and foods sound appetizing again. Don't give into the awful pregnancy cravings! Fuel your body with what it NEEDS!

 "Solution #2": Probiotics! Double the benefits and check that your probiotics have the Group Beta Strep Strand. You will get tested for GBS later (go ahead and learn all about it), but there might be some benefits from taking probiotics that have high amounts of this particular strand in preventing overgrowth. Hey, worth the try, right?

"Issue": Iron Levels

"Solution": Be proactive in keeping your iron level up! You need high iron levels at birth, and since your body is increasing blood and growing another human, you will probably need to be mindful of adding iron rich foods into your diet. Chlorophyll is a great source (as compared to a synthetic iron supplement), as well as bison meat (we eat ground bison weekly in this house), leafy greens like spinach and kale, black strap molasses (I've never tried this, but other women use it), and cooking in an iron skillet.

"Issue": Stretch marks
"Solution": I started using Earth Mama Angel Baby natural stretch oil fairly early on. I like that it had simple ingredients (even non-crunchy mamas-to-be tend to appreciate organic foods and minimal chemicals when growing another human). A warning: potential to ruin your night shirt. I used old 5k shirts for night shirts, (the hubs' shirts during third trimester), and they are practically goners. Except I packed them up in the pregnancy box. We'll see what they look like in a couple of years..

"Issue": back ache/pain/etc
"Solution: #1": Chiropractic Care: the sooner you start, the better. Yes, I am a bit biased being the daughter of a chiropractor, but it's simple logic: if you are aligned, squeezing a baby out of you will be easier. Also, in the next trimester when the baby kicks a rib out, you'll be happy you already have a chiropractor on hand. And you will need to go more than twice in the pregnancy to see results. 

"Solution #2": Pregnancy pillow. Also upon entering the second trimester, I could NOT get comfortable to sleep. You could barely tell I was pregnant, but for some reason the pregnancy pillow worked wonders! I say purchase/borrow early and get your money's worth. OR get really creative with all sorts of body pillows and other pillows. Seriously.

"Issue": Needing more Protein (hey you are building a human being after all)

"Solution": Eggs and egg baskets. You're probably thinking, "Eggs, so what!?" Well, because of my suppressed immune system during pregnancy, I could stray from the strict autoimmune Paleo protocol and reintroduce eggs into my diet. Eggs are a great source of protein, and super easy to add into any diet at any meal. We strive for at LEAST 100g of protein per day, so I had to get creative to keep it up. Also, increasing protein in the morning may help reduce nausea, if you still have any!

"Ultimate Solution": Great Lakes Collagen- (Yes, it IS worth mentioning again this trimester.) Collagen is a three point winner here: It helps improve skin elasticity (ie-may help alleviate stretch marks), helps with the joints (which can start to ache), and it's an extra source of protein. Order the green can from Amazon; it dissolves in cold water.  I added it to my morning and/or evening red raspberry or pregnancy tea, and also added into my smoothies. 

"Issue": Braxton Hicks Contractions

"Solution": Relax! You might start feeling them now or as you enter the third trimester, they are completely normal (talk to your provider if they don't feel "normal")! I best describe it as my belly becoming hard like a basketball for a couple seconds. I usually found that it would happen in the evening when I was most tired from the day. Sit down, prop your legs up and relax (or take a nice epsom salts soak!). You've been having BH all along, but now that your uterus is bigger, they are more obvious. Some women don't know they are having BH until the last bit of pregnancy; I started noticing mine very early!

"Issue": Wanting to learn more about pregnancy & birth

"Solution  #1": Ina May's Guide to Natural Childbirth is a MUST if you are considering any form of natural labor and delivery. This is such a calming, wisdom-filled book. SO much information about birth. I read this book twice: once during my second trimester, and then again towards the end of my pregnancy in prep for the big event. Seriously, don't try to give birth naturally without reading this. Side note: there are personal stories in the book, don't be scared by some of the more hippie ones!

"Solution #2": Start looking into birth classes. We started mine at 30 weeks, but I think I would have preferred starting closer to 25 weeks. We LOVED Birth Boot Camp, which is hosted at our birth center. It is based off of the Bradley

Method, which is another great option so I've read, if you don't have BBC availability. BBC is a 3 hour class & 10 week course that covers everything from nutrition, exercises and stretching, stages of labor, labor and delivery positions, medical interventions and so much more I pretty much have a minor in natural birth (okay not really). The best thing about BBC is that it provides ample knowledge of labor and birth that it removes doubt and fear from the mother AND father. Hubs supported my desire to have a natural birth, but after taking this class, he knew SO much and realized WHY this was the perfect decision for us. Go ahead, talk about birth with my husband-his knowledge will blow your mind!

"Unique Issue": Abdomen scars

"Solution": Abdomen scar breakdown was a recommendation for me from my midwife. I have a four inch scar from my belly button down from my emergency intestinal surgery when I was 18. She recommended I see a Pelvic floor specialist to help breakdown the scar before I start really growing. This was probably one of the smartest things I did! It's difficult to explain, but this scar was kind of like a zipper, and the skin on either side of it acted as two different pieces. The process felt like she was pinching my stomach and stabbing me with needles, but afterwards I could tell how easily and free my skin on my belly moved. It was as though my stomach was one piece of skin again moving together, and there was no middle seam holding down multiple layers (sorry if that doesn't quite make sense -it hard to explain). If I hadn't done this, I probably would have had a very uncomfortable time as I became larger and my skin & abdomen stretched. It might be worth looking into if you have a similar situation as me.

Other useful tidbits from my second trimester

-If you are interested in baby wearing, I would recommend trying on different baby carriers now to see how they fit, before you've got a 36 week belly in the way. There is a local shop in the DFW (The Nappy Shoppe) that has a few options to try on in store, or maybe you have friends who have different kinds you could try in! I had a couple different kinds, as I found I preferred different styles depending on baby's age and size!

-Do all the major nursery decor and design now when you have energy! Have your husband paint (or well ventilate and use low odor paint, also doing it this early allows time to vent before baby!), assemble crib, hang shelves, decide on tour theme and order bedding, buy the rocker-do all of the big stuff now! The small touches will be easy when you can only waddle and are back to sleeping on the couch by 7pm.

-Interview & hire your doula- now is a good time to start looking around and meeting with doulas. There's a great list of questions to ask when interviewing doulas in Ina May's book!

-It's like as soon as I hit second trimester my jeans stopped fitting right. Helllloooo pregnancy pants! Sure, at first they were a bit too big, but it beat feeling over stuffed in my normal jeans! I'd like to take a minute to thank Jessica Simpson for her awesome maternity pants. Skinny jeans and hot pink pants-what more does a pregnant gal need? Granted, by the end of the pregnancy i was SO over them (only because I wore them to work every, single day for like, 24 weeks straight).

-Keep working out! I would NOT recommend beginning any sort of crazy workout regime, but some light weights and the stair master are great ways to get the heart pumping more blood, and walks are super healthy for multiple reasons -varying from swaying and rocking the baby to sleep in womb to helping baby adjust into a good position, oh and the benefits for mom.

Here's to a smooth pregnancy!

-RR

“Remember this, for it is as true and true gets: Your body is not a lemon. You are not a machine. The Creator is not a careless mechanic. Human female bodies have the same potential to give birth well as aardvarks, lions, rhinoceri, elephants, moose, and water buffalo. Even if it has not been your habit throughout your life so far, I recommend that you learn to think positively about your body.”

-Ina May Gaskin

Maneuvering Pregnancy: The 1st Trimester

This is part 1 of my pregnancy series. Check back for the rest of my pregnancy and postpartum tips!

Some women have significant changes during their first trimester. For me, I found out I was 5 weeks pregnant the DAY after we closed on our house. The biggest changes came closer to the 8 week mark, all up until then I felt fairly normal (besides being wildly ecstatic yet unable to tell our friends). My greatest challenges were lack of energy & food aversion. Here's issues I faced and solutions that worked for me. I'm sharing, not as a medical professional, but as a "been there, done that, got the baby" fellow mother, in hopes that maybe some of my tips might help you, if you or someone you know is having these same issues!

"Issue": Deciding on Prenatals
Solution: In total crunchy mama way, I chose the Garden of Life prenatals because they were food based (there are a few different kinds, I purchased the organic line). These prenatal vitamins contain Folate, not synthetic folic acid (read the importance here), and I knew my body would better absorb everything in this prenatal. It turns out these prenatal vitamins were the ones my midwives sold at their office (I was taking for about a month before meeting with midwives), and my naturalopath liked them better than the ones he carried in his office! We have since switched pretty much all of our vitamins to Garden of Life, but that's beside the point. They are a bit pricey than the general ones from the supermarket, but if there's a time to buy great quality vitamins, it is when you are supporting your body growing another human being.


Issue: Exhaustion
Solution: Slept. A lot. If I wasn't at work or working on wedding flowers, I was asleep. Usually by 7:30pm on the couch, as the husband cleaned up dinner and tended to all household chores. My general pregnancy rule: Don't fight the sleep; just go for it. You need it! And, quite honestly, it might be the last of good sleep you'll get for a long while. Especially when pregnancy insomnia kicks in later, but I'm getting ahead of myself there (that'll be in the 3rd trimester blog post).

Issue: Food Aversions. Nothing sounded or tasted good. I thought bland foods would be appealing, but I could NOT swallow my usual sweet potatoes or avocadoes. Or even plain chicken. My food aversion only lasted about 2 weeks before my solutions came into play.

Solution #1: I had to eat breakfast, but I couldn't eat my usual one (sweet potato hash, sausage & avocado). So, breakfast protein smoothies came into my pregnancy; they stayed for my first trimester & came back for my third trimester (because I needed extra protein & calories). I use Garden of Life Grainfree Protein powder (Since I cannot do dairy or grains due to crohn's), canned full fat coconut milk, various fruits & spinach, and Great Lakes Kosher Collagen Hydrolysate.
Solution #2: I solved the food aversions during the rest of my day by going for food WITH flavor,

instead of bland food. Tacos, larb, lamb, chili, balsamic braised short ribs...anything with crazy (spicy or savory) flavor I was able to eat. So while my mind was thinking I should do comfort food, my pregnancy hormones told my stomach the exact opposite!








Issue: Supplements: Fish Oil
Solution: I bought Innate Choice EPA/DHA Omega 3 Fish Oil Supplement per my Midwives' recommendation. Fish oil helps support the growing baby and mama's brain, and is important! Plus, just great to have in a normal diet anyways! Read more here!


(Non-)Issue: Morning Sickness [I didn't have morning sickness this pregnancy.]
Solution: I have a few theories, based on what I've read and mine & friends' experiences, ranging from luck to balanced hormones. I did read a study about magnesium levels playing a role in morning sickness. During the first trimester I took Epsom salt baths almost every day which could be why I escaped morning sickness (and general soreness!). Plus this was just a great time to de-stress. Additionally, I bought Ancient Minerals Magnesium Spray; I used this a few minutes before I jumped into the shower (or bath)! Watch out, it can sting.



(Non-)Issue: Pregnancy Digestive problems
Solution #1: Digestive Enzymes. I have been taking digestive enzymes for years, at least a decade I think. I take them with meals and they help support proper digesting. Need I explain more?
Solution #2: The Squatty Potty. Funny, I actually bought the squatty potty for our new house, as I had been wanting to purchase one and they were at Bed, Bath & Beyond when we were decorating. The Squatty Potty returns our bodies to the natural position that supports the whole, ehm, process. Basically, biology points to the fact that our systems does better squatting, and that sitting has caused more issues for us. You can learn more here (don't worry, the video is PG, and explains it all with unicorns and rainbows, seriously!).

Issue: Wanting to learn more about pregnancy & birth
Solution: Start the Pregnancy Reading! I read Supernatural Birth by Jackie Mize immediately. I LOVED the positive view of pregnancy presented in this book. This book was uplifting and gave hope for a healthy, painfree pregnancy and birth. Because of this book, I began believing my dream of an uneventful and peaceful birth WAS possible. I focused on day to day pregnancy health, and blocked out any fear put on me by others. This book also was encouraging because it differed from the media's view of labor & birth, you know: screaming, yelling, frantic dashing to the hospital as soon as one contraction happens.

Other useful tidbits from my first trimester

-Began drinking Pregnancy Tea from Traditional Medicinals, alternating with Red Raspberry Leaf Tea. Both help support pregnancy and strengthen the uterus! I love morning tea, so this fit my routine! Also, I never drank coffee, but this would be a great substitute for coffee if you still need a morning warm drink (though there's no caffeine in the tea...)

-Began Pinteresting boy and girl nursery ideas. I'm a planner, and I had two themes down, just had to wait for the gender!

-Found providers I trusted and had good reviews. Since we had just moved, my transition from my previous doctor to a new provider was well timed. I found a terrific group of midwives and lovely birth center just a couple miles from our new house. #Fate

-Continued to workout, but made sure I wasn't over doing it by modifying my exercises. I reduced my weights a bit, and focused on proper technique and toning rather than pushing for building more muscle mass. I realized that at this point all extra protein I was consuming would be going to build a baby, not my delts, and I was okay with that! I wouldn't recommend beginning a new, intense workout plan during a pregnancy, but light weights, walking, swimming & stretching are all great ways to work out and stay healthy! Talk to your provider about what's best for you!

-Scheduled & took our last "Pre-baby" Family Pictures. Our engagement and wedding pictures were years old, and we truly feel and look like different people (older and more fit). We wanted to capture where we were in life before everything changed! And of course we made these our pregnancy announcement pictures!

-Booked our babymoon! (aka last childless vacation for a very long time) We went right around 20 weeks, before I would be too pregnant to really enjoy the vacation. We went to NYC at Christmas-time, one of the things I have always wanted to do since being there for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in High School!

-Continued to hardcore meal prep, so we could continue to eat healthy. We would spend most of Sunday doing such, but it helped me stay on top of my pregnancy health!

-Cut out more toxins. Everything you ingest or put on your skin can be extra toxins for your body! Eat more organic foods, cut out toxic chemicals (hubs took over cleaning the bathrooms completely), and opt for clean soaps, lotions, shampoos, etc!

-Added back rice and a couple other foods I had eliminated. During pregnancy, the immune system is suppressed, which is terrific for those of us with autoimmune diseases! I could "cheat" by eating rice once or twice a week for the extra carbs and not wake in agony the next morning! Talk about pregnancy bliss!!!!

-Drank lots of water! You will do this your entire pregnancy, so start now!


My first trimester was exhausting, but I really feel like these choices I made helped make my pregnancy smoother from the beginning! I had been reading about, asking family/friends and looking into pregnancy for a couple of years, but I learned so much during my own pregnancy (as I think everyone does-you can NEVER be completely "ready" for everything pregnancy throws at ya).


The natural choices I found and made were easy to implement in my life as they already aligned with my current health lifestyle, and they were a good change that have since helped us grow in our health journey even beyond pregnancy!

Best wishes on your pregnancy and health journey! I hope these tips help someone out there!

-RR

"Fear is a spiritual force. It is the opposite of faith. Fear is real, and it is not of God. It affects the life we live on planet earth. It affects the physical body...You only fear the unknown or past bad experiences. Past failures bring future fears. Fear and faith don't operate together. Fear is your worst enemy when it's allowed to operate. It can be one of the greatest causes of pain during childbirth."

 -from Supernatural Childbirth by Jackie Mize

Me against the Mastitis

Every time I thought of what to title this post,  Britney Spear's song, Me Against the Music, started playing in my head. The reason wasn't clear at first. Then I re-watched the video and when I read the lyrics to the song, I think I understand why. She talks about the music taking over her body, making her sweat and dance and running through her veins, and that's kind of how I feel when fighting a clogged duct and mastitis. I have crazy weird dreams, feel beside myself, wake up in a sweat, go crazy... pretty much everything that happens to Britney in the song. Just for different reasons.

Okay, serious talk. My baby is 5 months old and I have fought a clogged duct/early mastitis 4 times. FOUR. TIMES. (whhhhyyyyyyy meeee? Well, I have it narrowed down to: stress, too tight of bra, getting hit by baby, baby unexpectedly sleeping through the night, sleeping on my stomach, tongue/lip tie-if it happens early on it could be a sign of this, or gremlins. Probably the latter.)

Kelly Mom compares the difference between the two, and quite honestly I'm not sure which I had each time, because my temperature stayed low most of the time, but I have gotten the flu like symptoms a few times. Either way, I am the clogged duct protocol queen. I have the regime I follow saved in my phone, I keep of stash of Phytolacca Decandra in the diaper bag, my nightstand and the vitamin cabinet. 

So, for the sake of all the new nursing moms out there who might face what I have (Lord help us) or in case my phone ever dies and I need to locate the regime, I have the protocol from my midwife below (bookmark this page, y'all). Of course, I will say I'm not a doctor, and you should probably contact yours depending how you feel. But if you want to try this at home natural route, it's worked for me 4 times. FOUR. TIMES. (ugh). If it doesn't go away within a day, seriously, go get help, because I have followed this guideline all of my times (starting as SOON as you feel a symptom-which for me was pain in the duct like it wasn't draining, sometimes it'll get red on the surface) and it is gone within a day. Mastitis isn't something you want to play around with.

[My notes are italicized.] 

Both Rescue Remedy & Phytolacca can be bought at Sprouts.

The Origins protocol:

For 12 hours:
-Nurse the side that’s hurting every hour for 10 minutes. You have to get the infected clog(s) drained. You may need to pump the other breast if baby isn't wanting to nurse on both sides. (Wait until morning to start if it's late at night, or discontinue through the night, then pick back up in morning. Nurse the infected breast when baby wakes throughout the night. Take Phytolacca whenever you wake to nurse.)
-Rub the rescue cream on the area of your breast that is hurting/red right before nurse.(can use liquid RR sublingual 5/10 minutes before nursing session) - [I have the Rescue Remedy liquid drops and put it in my water.]
-While you're nursing put warm compresses on the area that hurts/red and massage that spot towards your nipple. It hurts but you have to release it. [Rice/corn packs are great for this. Also, when desperate, using a golf ball to roll/massage worked for me once. Desperate times.]
-Take a hot bath every 6 hrs for 15 minutes. Lay facing down so your breasts are completely submersed. [keep massaging]
-Put ice on it in-between nursing.
-Take 3 phytolacca decandra tabs under your tongue every 15 minutes. This is a VERY important step! [Seriously most important. You'll go through a tube in like a day, so I keep like 3 tubes on hand.]
- REST! #1 cause of mastitis is stress and fatigue.
-Stay in bed till your fever goes away!! [if possible, have a family/friend/husband/significant other tend to the baby-this is a serious matter and YOU need to tend to yourself.]

Additionally, I up my vitamins & water, and for the first time in years I had to succumb to ibprofen to get the throbbing headache away. Ouch.

Best wishes to all you other mamas out there plagued with this when you are just trying to feed your baby! You can get through it!

5-Days Whole30 Menu

I am participating next week in 5 days of clean eating with a health group. This will be a perfect time to reset my eating, as I'll abide by Whole30 recipes for the week! I intend on participating in a Whole30 during the month of May, so this will be a great prep!

I planned next week meals, as follows. Check out the recipes below if you need gluten-free, grain-free, egg-free, dairy-free recipes! And I even included the ingredient list below each recipe!

Dinners:

• Shrimp Pad Thai from Diane Sanfilippo's book - We LOVE this recipe! It tastes just like the original thing! Except you use zoodles! Yum! This time we will probably add in a sliced chicken breast in addition to the shrimp for extra protein sake!
• Ingredient list:

4 large zucchini or yellow squash

1 cup snow peas, sliced lengthwise into thin strips

4 dozen extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

FOR THE SAUCE

1/2 cup almond butter (raw or roasted)

1/2 cup coconut aminos

4 drops fish sauce

1/2 teaspoon minced or grated garlic

1/4 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

sea salt and black pepper to taste

FOR GARNISH

1 tablespoon white sesame seeds

1/4 cup sliced green onions (scallions)

1/4 cup thinly sliced cucumber

• Sweet Potato Nachos (in place of Taco Tuesday!)
• Ingredient list:

One bag Jackson’s sweet potato chips or one batch Primal Palate sweet potato chips
One batch avocado crema
1 pound grass-fed ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 bunch of cilantro, leaves removed and chopped
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 bunch green onion, chopped
1/2 red onion, diced
1 small can of sliced black olives, drained
Lime slices for garnish, optional

Ingredients for Avocado Crema:
1 small avocado
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 tsp sea salt + more to reach desired taste preference
1/2 clove elephant garlic or 2 cloves regular garlic (If you have access to elephant garlic for this, USE IT!)
5 tablespoons water

Ingredients for sweet potato chips:

sweet potatoes

coconut oil

• Blackened Salmon with Mango Avocado Salsa by Against All Grain - I will probably not use the spice based herbs on my own salmon, as I'm trying to stay mainly Autoimmune Paleo (AIP), but I think the husband will enjoy it! I am planning on serving some cilantro lime caulirice and maybe the collard greens listed below.
• Ingredient List:

1½ to 2 pounds wild salmon fillets, boneless and skin on
3 teaspoons melted grassfed butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
1½ tsp paprika
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp cracked pepper
¼ tsp thyme
¼ tsp cayenne

Caulirice Ingredients

1 Head Cauliflower
1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
1⁄2 Small Onion (diced)
1 Clove of Garlic (chopped)
1 Lime, juice and zest
1/4 Cup Cilantro, chopped

• Hawaiian Burgers - No picture but sounds SO good! And I will incorporate a sweet potato into dinner somehow, whether that's sweet potato fries or just roasted. I may not use the portabello bun and rather side for some lettuce (from my own garden!).
• Ingredient List:
8 whole portobello mushroom caps, stems removed (or as mentioned, some big lettuce leaves)
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 pound ground beef
2/3 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 rings pineapple
2 whole avocados sliced
1/2 cup red onion sliced

Sweet potato or 2 for fries/side

• Slow Cooker Balsamic Chicken - I think I will try this with a whole chicken instead of just thighs. Served with brussell sprouts (listed below) and sweet potato (see a pattern?)!
• Ingredient List:

8 boneless, skinless organic chicken thighs
4 Garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp fresh basil
1 bunch fresh rosemary
1 tsp onion powder
½ onion, diced
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
¼ cup coconut oil
Salt and pepper to taste

2 Sweet potatoes for side

 

Breakfast: 

• Ground beef and sweet potato Breakfast hash. I make a big batch on Sunday that lasts us all week. It is a complete meal for us, in addition to my 1/4 of an avocado I eat every morning!
• Ingredient List:
3 large sweet potatoes, shredded (approx 1.5lbs)
12oz brussell sprouts, quartered
1/2 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 pieces of bacon, cut into 1/3 inch strips
1-3lbs ground meat*

2 Avocadoes for me the week

• If we ate eggs (we don't due to food sensitivities), I would totally make a batch of these Egg Nests, or ones similar to them! They seem so easy and are healthy.
• Ingredient list:

1 large Sweet Potato
1 Sweet Apple
2 Tbsp Coconut Oil + more for greasing muffin cups
5 large Eggs
Sea Salt, to taste
Chives, optional
3 slices uncooked Bacon, diced small
Balsamic Vinegar, optional

 Snacks:

• Baked kale chips - I have never tried kale chips but they look SO delicious! and the husband enjoys chips, so this would be a healthy alternative to try.
• Ingredient list:

2 bunches of kale
1-2 tablespoons of avocado oil
fleur de sel or your favorite seasoning salt

• Carrot cake smoothie - okay, hands down how good does this look and sound?! Maybe for a special snack or breakfast!
• Ingredient list:

1 cup carrots, peeled and then grated (if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, you could probably just roughly chop them)
1 organic banana, frozen
1 1/2 cups homemade almond milk (or other non-dairy milk of your choice)
1/4 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for two hours (or 1/4 cup homemade cashew nut butter)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Medjool date
1 tablespoon organic raw shelled hemp seeds (optional for protein)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger or 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Sides:

• Collard Greens  - As previously mentioned, these are so good! I try to serve greens with every meal, so this will make an appearance at least once.
• Ingredient list:

1 bunch collard greens

~1.5 cup broth 

up to 8 cloves garlic

1 TBSP Himalayan salt

sprinkle of:

 cayenne pepper

salt & pepper

chipotle chili seasoning

• Brussel Sprouts - These will be delicious! The husband loves brussel sprouts! Perfect side!
• Ingredient list:

For the Onions:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 whole red onion

For the Brussel Sprouts:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cups brussel sprouts
2 cloves minced garlic
Salt and pepper to taste

Note concerning lunches:

• It's just me and the husband in our house, but most recipes make 4 servings, at least. So our lunches are leftovers from the previous night's dinners. Some recipes will only make 2 servings, which is why I cook a big meal at the beginning of the week (that balsamic chicken), so we can have those leftovers a few times when other dinners lack. 
• I pack my own lunch every day, so I grab leftovers, a fruit, a sweet potato maybe (if it's a big workout day I especially have to), the other 1/4 of an avocado and a mason jar salad.

Here's the 411 on Mason Jar Salads:

1. Decide on using a pint sized (side salad portion) or quart sized (full salad) mas on jar. 
2. Add your salad dressing to the very bottom of your glass mason jar. (For us that's usually a homemade vinaigrette of EVOO, red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar and some herbs!)
3. Put your hardier toppings in next: nuts, seeds, hardy veggies like carrots; toppings that won't get soggy or go bad sitting in the dressing all week.
4. Put in the remaining toppings such as mushrooms, tomatoes, cucumbers, any fruit etc. that might be soggy or turn bad if sitting in your dressing (other salad toppings suggestions: artichoke hearts, olives, celery, bell peppers, pomegranate seeds, apple slices, sugar snap peas, broccoli to name a few...what other ones do y'all like on your salad???). I do NOT recommend avocado in these jars though.
5. Your greenery is next: make sure it's fairly dry & doesn't touch the dressing! While iceberg lettuce is most common (as shown here, I found an Organic head on Manager's special!), it is also the least nutritional so venture out and try other salad greens like spinach (also shown), arugula, kale, turnip greens, etc. We usually buy the "spring mix" from the store that has a combo! (Remember to buy organic greens!)
6. Store in the fridge & when ready to consume, dump onto your plate & it's instantly mixed! Enjoy!

• Ingredient list:

greens (spinach is my preference)
cucumber, sliced
couple of carrots, sliced
various veggies, sliced

I am definitely looking forward to next week! Especially since the menu is planned! Woohoo!

~Rachel_unrefined

“To insure good health: eat lightly, breathe deeply, live moderately, 

cultivate cheerfulness, and maintain an interest in life.” ~William Londen

Asparagus Stuffed Chicken & Collard Greens

Dinner the other night was asparagus stuffed chicken with collard greens. It was SO delicious; we will absolutely be making this meal again!

For the collard greens, I saw this original recipe on Instagram (below). My husband has taken a liking to collard greens, so I knew I had to try this out! I used a whole bunch of collard greens, but upped the broth to about a cup and a half (enough for the greens to boil). Also, I used chicken broth!

I stumbled across this "Asparagus Stuffed Coconut Chicken" recipe online and thought it looked delicious! However, I had to do some altering to fit our dietary needs. I still followed the recipe instructions, just changed the ingredients up some. My changes are in red below:

• 2- 8 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup almond flour
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon basil (more or less to liking)
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 cup coconut flakes
• 1 dash salt (more or less to liking)
• 1 dash pepper (more or less to liking)
• ~16 spear asparagus (2 or 3 per each wrap)
• 1 large egg white (substitute)

When we made this recipe, I didn't notice the coconut flakes weren't in the ingredient list, but I will be adding into the mix the next time I make it!

~Rachel_unrefined

Paleo Breakfast Hash

I love breakfast hashes. I make a big batch at the beginning of the week and reheat servings each morning. This ensures my husband can start the day with breakfast (because he doesn't cook anything on his own normally) with his morning coffee!

I was inspired by someone else's breakfast on Instagram, so we changed things up a bit based on what we had in our fridge and came up with this concoction. It is fantastic, tastey and, best of all, dairy-/egg-/grain-free! And there's bacon...we all love bacon!

Including Ol' Roc'!

This can be edited many ways. (Add in a handful or two of greens at the end of cooking to wilt.) Also, the amount of servings is variable on how much one eats at one time. I consume about 4oz of the hash at a time, but I believe my husband eats less...on weekdays.

Breakfast Hash

Servings: 6-10, depending

Ingredients:

3 large sweet potatoes, shredded (approx 1.5lbs)

12oz brussell sprouts, quartered

1/2 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 pieces of bacon, cut into 1/3inch strips

1-3lbs ground meat*

*Any type of ground meat; we went with ground beef this week, but I have been known to use ground bison, half turkey and half pork, etc. Also, the quantity of meat depends on your personal preference. 1lb ground meat would yield a more veggie based hash, 3lbs yields a protein packed hash (great for those of us upping our protein for increase muscle mass).

Directions:

1. Brown the meat. Possibly add in an herb or two during this portion. I used Majoram, salt & pepper.
2. While browning meat, prepare all veggies & bacon. (I shred my sweet potatoes using my Kitchen aid veggie shredder attachment. But this can also be done using a cheese grater, chopped in a food processor or diced by hand. You will need to adjust cooking time for the latter.)
3. If using one pan, wait until meat is browned, drain and set aside, then begin cooking all other ingredients. If using two pans, you can cook as you prepare all other ingredients. Begin by cooking the bacon pieces. Once slightly cooked, add in garlic and cook for a few more minutes. Add in brussell sprouts and onions, cover pan and cook until tender. Add in the sweet potatoes, cover and cook until sweet potatoes are tender. You may need to add in extra cooking oil (I use coconut oil) during this process if the bacon fat is not enough to prevent sticking). Stir periodically so sweet potatoes do not stick to bottom of pan.
4. Cook until tender. Then mix together with meat mixture. Enjoy! 

One of my favorite breakfasts!

~Rachel_unrefined

The Big D Climb-Partners in Health

Comerica Bank Tower-2015 Climb

A few weekends ago, my husband and I joined my work in participating in the Dallas Big D Climb with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. We climbed 53 flights of stairs in the Comerica Bank Tower in Downtown Dallas.

Yes, it was gruesome. Yes, it hurt. Yes, we LOVED it. Yes, we are odd.

This was my third year participating, and another PR for my books. I tell everyone I spend all year preparing for this climb, which is true! 

2013 was my first Big D Climb. By the end of the 52 story climb, my legs turned to JELLO (like the nasty sugar-laden, artificially dyed, not good for you at all kind). My work promised $50 to each individual who beat an employee's time from the year before, and I beat the time (boy do I love goals)! But I realized I had some major prep work to do if I want to do it the next year and not die.

We looked so young in 2013!

Fountain Place in Downtown Dallas

I climbed the Fountain Place in Downtown Dallas for the second time for the 2014 Big D Climb. Since my first climb, I began running with Roc' and adding air squats into my workout regime a few months before the climb. I shaved off about 40 seconds from the year prior with a time of 10:21.

My friend climbed with me, since James was out of town

I began adding weights to my squats last summer, so not only were my morning runs with Rocky and Warriors 1&2 in yoga class easier, but I felt great after the climb (I'm looking forward to skiing this year for the same reason! And because I have some gold ski pants to break in). In fact it was just my lungs that STUNG! But I dominated my time (10:16 for 53 flights) and shaved off a few more seconds from the year prior (even with adding an extra flight of stairs). I placed first in my age group and the husband placed 8th overall! What a hauss!

This year, my boss made a promise to pay each employee or family member registered with the company team $100 if they beat his time. Of the 10 people that beat his time, we took home 20% of the earnings. ;) He gave us a goal, and being the Goal Digger I am, I accepted that challenge.

Oh hello there Mr. Franklin

My husband bought a fishing pole and I, well, of course I bought some new kicks for work! ;)

Mermaid Shoes

I couldn't decide on just one pair...

And yes, I've already begun training for the 2016 Big D Climb! ;) My strategy for training: squats, running and stairmaster. My strategy for the day of: don't start with a sprint and just keep stepping! My husband's strategy: 2 steps at a time! (I'm going to try this for 2016)

As a couple, we make it a point to participate in 6 of these type of events a year-athletic events to help fundraise for different causes. We enjoy the fun, competitive atmosphere while participating in a bigger cause. We have made Turkey Trots our Thanksgiving holiday.

We realize not every couple is wired like us. Most don't Snapchat during their workouts, ask about their weight training before "how was work today?" over dinner, have group text messages with siblings to discuss fitness or wake up early on Saturdays to run or participate in these crazy events.

But then again, not every couple were workout buddies before they began dating.

Our whole relationship was founded on a friendship that blossomed by hitting the REC at college a couple of times a week. (Ladies, if a man has seen you sweaty in non-fashionista workout clothes and THEN chooses to pursue you, he's a keeper :P )

I recently read an article about "Partners in Health" and realized it perfectly hit the nail on the head. Working out together helps us achieve our personal goals, create healthy habits together, and we encourage each other!

This health-minded foundation is what has helped us tackle every fitness & health change we have encountered and implemented into our lives. Together we fought our way to a new lifestyle after food sensitivities tests. My husband has stayed by my side as I altered my already strict paleo diet to follow the Autoimmune Paleo Protocol. I cheer my husband on during his 150 mile bike rides and 13.1 mile half marathons.

We aren't competitive with each other, or even others really. We set personal goals, sometimes inspired by others, and find a way to achieve our goals.

Having a common interest with your spouse is probably what brought y'all together. The hardest part of our marriage (not to suggest we have problems-keep reading mom!) was when we were giving up our lunch workouts to run home and let the dog out, and we hadn't made time in our week to workout together. I was stressed from lack of fitness and while we were enjoying being together doing other things, something just wasn't right. (You know that quote from Legally Blonde-totally applicable here. You know, this one: "Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people just don't shoot their husbands. They just don't!" -the wise words of Elle Woods)

This was our first year of marriage and while we tackled diet changes, we hadn't tackled workouts.

The one thing our relationship was founded on was no where in our lives. Once we pinpointed the problem and we fixed it, things have been back to normal and then some.

Most importantly, we value our health and the health of each other. We are a team; we train together, eat together and support each other. I couldn't imagine a better teammate, or a hotter spotter. ;) Do you and your spouse work together for your health?

~RR

"Number one, like yourself. Number two, you have to eat healthy. 

And number three, you've got to squeeze your buns. That's my formula."

-Richard Simmons